Giving Power to Pawns
by alikat522
Summary: Some people are too small to see the board.


The lines kept flowing on. There was only so much that he and I could do with them. We pulled twisted, weaved as much as our powers allowed, but ultimately they went their own ways. All of the right moments seemed to happen; all of the bright flashes still took place. Non-interference was a terrible handicap. I had my servants, he had his. Our pawns marched their ways across the galaxies, subtly guided by our seemingly omnipotent hands. But none of them could move the lines too much. They did not realize that the lines existed. Only he and I could see them. I could reach out and touch them, feel the energy that drifted around them, feel the very matter of their existence. If only the little creatures could feel it, then-

Yes.

Yes, that was it.

It had to be done quietly, secretly. He would not allow me to get away with it. He would claim it violated our agreement, our pact of non-interference. But I would not use it. I would not even give it to anyone. All I had to do was create it, send it out into the universe, and wait.

I began skimming off of the lines. I pulled energy from them, a bit here, a bit there. Too big of a piece from any one place, and I would be spotted. It took me years upon years. I snatched bits from where they would not be missed, finding places where he was not watching. I stored it away in my very being, all the while compressing it. It needed to be compact enough to handle, grounded in reality, subject to space and time while simultaneously above and beyond it. I waited and watched. Every now and then I witnessed a bright flash, a meeting of great forces. Those were the most fruitful occasions. I could pull off great pieces, and have the loss go largely unnoticed. He never would suspect until it was too late.

Finally, I had gathered enough. My collection was large enough to create power, but small enough to handle and manipulate. That is when I began to add the last bit. I pulled bits of myself apart, and pushed them into the collection. My will, my agency, my power, all went into the bundle of energy and time. I felt myself lessen slightly as parts were taken away, but what was the small loss compared to what my creation could bring about? The bits of my being bound it together, creating anchors to keep the power in one place at a time. I needed to give it a physical form; physical creatures cannot easily tap into intangible forces. I pushed it together more and more, smoothing out edges and filling in gaps. It became able to exist on its own, free of my control and surveillance. Of course, when I could no longer conceal it within myself, he began to take notice.

"What have you created?"

"I have created nothing. I simply rearranged."

"What is the purpose of this amalgamation?"

"You will see soon enough."

It became white, a smooth orb that glowed with a soft energy. I noticed with some amusement that its nature seemed utterly neutral, despite how much of me was contained within it. The energy from the lines outweighed my contributions. Its neutrality did not matter; in fact, it was a bonus. This was not the tool of evil creatures. This was the tool of all creatures, those who meant good or bad, creation or destruction. Their intent did not matter. All that mattered was their new-found ability to meddle. The pawns would think that they could win the game, but all they would do would be to confuse the board, making it harder for the players to win. His minions would even believe that they were helping, as he looked on in horror. It was simply too good.

For the last step, I needed aid. I needed to transfer it into space and time, lock it into its own existence. I gave it to the Drode; he had long been a bridge between reality and my own plane, able to walk in both while controlling neither. So often he was weak and useless, but times like these reminded me why I needed him.

"Who should I give it to?" he asked, his eyes full of cunning.

"You do not need to give it to anyone" I replied. He had never had much of a mind for delicate matters. "All you have to do is release it. Send it out into the universe; see who stumbles on it first. It does not matter who finds it. It is a disaster waiting to happen in any hands."

He obeyed, and sent it out into reality. This, of course, drew my opponent's attention. One cannot simply place a huge bundle of energy into the fabric of space-time and expect no one to sit up and take notice.

"What have you done?"

"Do you like it, Ellimist? I call it the Time Matrix."

We both watched and waited to see what would happen next. The Time Matrix floated in space. Come along, little creatures, come and find it. Come and play. Come tangle the lines, come mess up the board. Come play with Crayak's toy.


End file.
